It’s a full moon today, so you know what that means! Okay you couldn’t know what that means because this is the first full moon since Scare Value started up. It means we do werewolf stuff.
Will our first full moon feature be a Universal classic with Lon Chaney Jr.? An iconic 80’s offering like An American Werewolf in London or The Howling? A recent hit like Werewolves Within? …No. … We went with the one everyone is talking about.
Don’t worry…there’s a full moon every month.
Marvel dropped a special presentation on Disney+ this week that caught the attention of horror fans everywhere. Based on a character created in the early 1970’s, Werewolf by Night is the MCU introduction of Jack Russell. Russell is a monster hunter who is harboring a dark secret. …Werewolf. He’s a werewolf. It’s called Werewolf by Night.
Reviews of new movies…or special presentations…will not contain spoilers. I guess except the thing about him being a werewolf.
Werewolf by Night
Directed by Michael Giacchino
Screenplay by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron
Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Laura Donnelly and Harriet Sansom Harris
Werewolf by Night Review
Werewolf by Night has been called Marvel’s first foray into horror. The Doctor Strange movie earlier this year was called the same thing. Likely by the same people. Doctor Strange did feature a zombie fighting a witch…so. What’s happening here is a phenomenon called “people not being able to classify something that isn’t exactly the same as everything else”. With Marvel, if it’s not a superhero fighting a supervillain people don’t know what to do.
This doesn’t just go for properties with a horror bent. Right now, people aren’t sure what to do with She-Hulk either. Early WandaVision episodes confused the hell out of them too. To Marvel’s credit…they continue to present these different takes on their characters in their Disney+ offerings. Werewolf by Night is a near hour of black and white tribute to the days of monster prosthetics and practical effects found in the classic Universal Horror movies.
It makes sense. Movies like Bride of Frankenstein and The Wolf Man, though seen as fright filled in the 30s and 40s have been considered family horror entertainment for decades. Marvel isn’t looking to present any more nightmare fuel than that. Knowing their target audience, it’s impressive how far they do push it in the final act of Werewolf by Night.
Five monster hunters gather at Bloodstone Manor following the death of Ulysses Bloodstone to determine a new leader of the hunters, and keeper of the powerful Bloodstone. Among them is Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal). Bloodstone’s daughter Elsa (Laura Donnelly) also arrives to compete for the role. When an encounter with the Bloodstone reveals Jack is a monster himself, Bloodstone’s widow Verussa locks him and Elsa in a cage and wants to unleash the monster within.
For those keeping track Bloodstone is the name of the deceased leader, his widow, his daughter, the manor the story takes place in and the magical powerful MacGuffin.
Everything that happens in Werewolf by Night is predictable but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun watch. Given that it isn’t a full-blown movie we don’t get as much character development or background on the side characters. The monster they are there to hunt will be something long time Marvel comics fans will enjoy. There is some of the action and comedy you expect from a Marvel property but the what’s new is third act where the monster is unleashed.
As for the werewolf of it all…this one is pretty darn good. Avoiding CGI in favor of makeup certainly gives this werewolf a nice start. The mythology is light here, but they do introduce at least one interesting trait for the Marvel werewolves. Given the aesthetic a lot of it is played for suspense and in shadows…but it all works quite well when it comes together.
Marvel does a good job here walking the line between scary danger, violent deaths, and family friendly. Had this come out when I was a kid, I could see it being the thing everyone talked about in the cafeteria for weeks. Of course, back then there were so fewer entertainment options everyone would watch the same things and there wouldn’t be ten other movies or shows that came out that day.
The acting is top notch, which is also a Marvel staple. The use of practical effects and makeup is a welcome addition to any production. It does feel like this would have been better as a full movie, but what’s here is all quite good. The reception, both critically and with Marvel fans, should lead to Werewolf by Night being more than just a one off. Given the level of care put into something that may not have been planned to be, that’s a promising notion.
Just don’t expect Marvel to go full blown horror anytime soon.
Scare Value
It’s something different from Marvel…who doesn’t really get enough credit for doing different things with their Disney+ offerings. Werewolf by Night is an easy, though predictable, watch with a good cast elevating the material. We’ve talked about gateway horror before in our My Best Friend’s Exorcism review. Werewolf by Night is better and will work with an even younger audience not prepared for a true horror presentation. Younger viewers may not want to stick with the black and white aesthetic though.
3/5
Links
Werewolf by Night Trailer
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